I'm glad to know Max has at least taken in some of the content here.

There is an emotional hump that I've been trying to get some of you to look over the top of, and it doesn't seem to have worked for more than just a couple. Please, spaw and others, stop qualifying MY remarks with "Max has to decide these things" as if I'm out of line for suggesting them, then going back to the Andy Hardy stuff. I know Max has to make these decisions, but if someone doesn't suggest it, he might not realize what a good idea it can be.

What I suggested isn't that hard, isn't that expensive, and it gives Max a heckuva lot more protection than he has now. I didn't mention the IRS stuff that M.Ted described, but that was list of things to consider at a future point in time. Mudcat can operate exactly the same way as it does now, except the clones become board members. Big deal.

Consider this: someone decides they have been libeled here so they sue Mudcat as the vehicle of their humiliation or hardship. (Remember the discord that Max was concerned about in his first State of the Union post? And the rapid exit thereafter of Martin Gibson?) Max IS Mudcat, home and car and bank account and all. Incorporation simply allows him on paper to separate his personal property and business from his Mudcat property and business, and he doesn't lose his house if he loses a lawsuit. That seems like an extreme example, but look all of the lame and wacko lawsuits out there in the world. And look at some of our more colorful regulars, past and present, and tell me you think that could never happen.

I don't want to keep building possible scenarios, and I don't want to have to keep defending my opinion that this would be a good idea. Let it stand, make your own separate suggestions, but don't keep shooting down this one as if it isn't reasonable or well-considered, because that just isn't true. If you're not emotionally ready for a change at Mudcat, then say so, or acknowledge it to yourself and plan your next bake sale. But Mudcat is how old? More than 10 years old? In my considered opinion, it's time to move on to the next level.

My best wishes to Max, whatever he decides to do: I respect his work and open-minded tolerance immensely. Even choosing to do nothing is still a choice. Whatever he does, I'll continue to be interested in Mudcat.

SRS